The Crowned Lapwing lives in open grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Adults have a white ring around the black head and search the ground for ants, termites, and other insects.
Adults have a brown back and chest, white belly, and a white ring around the black crown. The bill and legs are red.
It pecks insects from the ground and often eats ants and termites.
In southern Africa it nests in a shallow ground scrape lined with dry grass, roots and small stones. It lays 2–4 eggs, which the parents incubate.
Once their down is dry, chicks leave the nest about four hours after hatching. Adults take turns caring for them and guiding them to food; when danger approaches, a parent distracts the intruder while the chicks hide.
A thin black line separates the breast from the white belly. The white tail has a broad black band, and juveniles have a duller head pattern than adults.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.